


Is she unhappy?

by pretendtobearealperson



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 01:38:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1167075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretendtobearealperson/pseuds/pretendtobearealperson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The King of Arendelle thinks about the choices he's made as a father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is she unhappy?

“Do you have to go?”

“You’ll be fine, Elsa.” I longed to give her a hug, just once. Let her feel my warmth. But—‘Please. I don’t want to hurt you.’ I wasn’t allowed to complain.

As I follow my wife into the ship, I think about our two daughters. Anna has been like the sun to us, with her hugs and prancing around the halls. I know we have hurt her, as well, keeping her locked away when she has so much energy, so much she wants to learn from the rest of the world. And Elsa. Elsa, our eldest, my heir to the throne. She—she does not eat very much. She does not do much of anything, really.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have locked her away like that,” I say almost to myself, but my queen hears me. She gives me her worried smile and puts a hand on my shoulder. My dear, sweet queen.

“It was for the best. There was nothing else—nothing better—that we could have done. Elsa’s is a powerful magic that we do not fully understand.”

No. No, we do not understand it. But they say that a powerful witch lives near Corona. My sister will help us find her, and she may be able to help us. I don’t care how much we have to pay her, if she will help Elsa.

I make myself comfortable in the cabin. My poor, poor sister. Her baby was stolen from her as soon as they found out that she has magical powers. This is why I must keep Elsa safe, her powers a secret. No one shall know.

Conceal it. Don’t feel it. Don’t let it show.

It. Her powers. Also, my fear. Our fear.

Fear will be your enemy.

I open my eyes. Ever since the incident, Elsa is always afraid. Afraid to hurt others. Afraid of her powers. Afraid of—

Did I do this to her? If I had been a better father, would she have more confidence? Would she be playing with her sister as they used to—do girls her age still “play”? Dear god, I don’t even know what other girls her age are supposed to be like.

Did I do this to her? Did I make her an enemy of herself?

“Darling,” I call out, and she looks up from her book. “Do you think Elsa is happy?” She sees my pain and reaches out to hold me. “Have we—have I made her unhappy? Does she even want to be my heir?”

“She will make a wonderful queen.”

“A queen who will be locked up in her chambers every day? No. I want her to be happy.”

“We all do.”

“Yes.” I squeeze her in my arms. “Yes. When we return, whether or not we can find this witch, we’ll ask her.” I break free from the embrace. “We’ll ask her what she wants, for once. Of course, the best thing would be if we find the witch and she helps us either to get rid of Elsa’s powers or to help her control them. But if not, we’ll ask Elsa if she does actually want to rule Arendelle, and then, if she does, we should start—”

“Sweetheart, I understand.” I’ve started rambling again, and it’s not until she’s holding my hand that I realize I had been pacing the room. “We will talk with her.” She smiles at me, and I take her other hand. “And don’t put this all on yourself. You are—and you have been—just trying your best. We both are. We both made these decisions, and we are both her parents.”

“Thank you.”

Yes. When we return, we are going to talk to our daughters. Tell Anna about Elsa’s powers. Explain why Elsa has had to shut the world out. And maybe even open up the gates again.


End file.
